


One phone call to change them all

by francythat



Category: Nancy Drew (Video Games), Nancy Drew - Carolyn Keene, Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys Super Mysteries - Franklin W. Dixon & Carolyn Keene
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-18
Updated: 2017-07-18
Packaged: 2018-12-03 18:33:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11538045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/francythat/pseuds/francythat
Summary: Following the end of The Deadly Device, Nancy follows up on the strange voicemail from the Hardy's and has dinner with Frank.





	One phone call to change them all

“NANCY! Please be careful! I just want to tell you that I’ve always-”  
“Message length exceeded. You have no more messages.”  
“Frank sounded so urgent, I better call them back and check in.” Nancy mumbled as she punched in the Hardy’s number from memory.  
“Nancy!” Frank proclaims.  
“Is that Nancy? You don’t need to give me that look, it’s a legitimate question. Maybe someone called and asked you to name your favorite detective. Oh, like it hasn’t happened before.”  
Frank glares at his brother with a shut up or die look. Joe grudgingly takes the hint and slumps out of the room.  
“Sorry is this a bad time?”  
“What? No not at all! I’ll always make time to take your calls Nance.”  
“So is that what you wanted to tell me on that voicemail?” Nancy teases.  
Frank instantly mumbles “Oh shit!”  
“What was that? Was that a yes?”  
“Oh gosh no! I, well…” Frank falters, knowing he’s at a crossroad. It had been so easy to tell her before her most certain doom how he really felt. Now the adrenaline was gone and his conscience took over as he thought about how his choice would change everything for Nancy and for Ned.  
“Well actually it’s something much better shared in person!” Joe chimes in on the upstairs line and immediately hangs up.  
“Well in that case, Ned was going to pick me up from the airport tonight but maybe you’d want to instead and we could grab dinner? Classic me I forgot to bring money with me when I traveled so I haven’t eaten since I left the lab this morning.”  
“Oh if you and Ned already have it settled I don’t see any need to complicate things.”  
“Oh nonsense, Ned could use a swift kick in the pants.”  
“Um excuse me? Am I still talking to Nancy Drew from River Heights?”  
“Absolutely, solving a murder where the culprit was a close friend of the victim really puts things into perspective. Life can be short, especially in our line of work. There’s no time to pretend that I can be a normal girl with a normal life. Ned deserves a girl who wants the white picket fence life, and that’s just not me. We know how that worked out for my mom.” Mumbling the last part under her breath.  
“Nancy you sure you’re ok?”  
“I’m only going to get better. See you at the airport at 6, don’t be late, we’ve got a lot to talk about!” And with that she hung up, the biggest smile on her face, as wide as the smile she had when she solved her first case. “Now to deal with Ned.” She calls him but it goes to voicemail. “How ironic I get to leave a message when a voice mail started this whole thing” she mutters while Ned’s voicemail plays in the background. “Hey Ned, it’s Nancy. There’s been a change of plans for this evening and Frank is giving me a ride home from the airport. I’ll check in with you in the morning. Bye!”  
“Now boarding flights 2186 with service to River Heights.”  
Nancy now picks up her battered luggage that has been everywhere with her, she found it be lucky after having lost it in Paris and getting to wear JJ Ling’s clothes for her entire trip, and got ready to embark on the next chapter of her life.

 

“Joe, what the hell were you thinking?!” Frank screams irritably at his brother as he storms into his room.  
“Dude, I was just trying to do my bro a favor. You had to make a move and so I just helped you along to save your dignity.” Joe whines as he cowers in his chair. He was pretty sure Frank was just frazzled and wouldn’t actually do anything to him, but best to be prepared.  
“Yeah, well now I think Nancy is going to break up with Ned and it’s all our fault!” he shouts.  
“Nancy isn’t stupid or irrational, ok maybe she is on a case and doesn’t bring money when she goes places, and is extremely incautious, but really on a whole she makes good decision 87.5% of the time. I’m sure she wouldn’t be ending it with Ned if she didn’t have some feelings herself that they weren’t meant to last. We just nudged her further along in the right direction. “  
“I, I guess you’re right Joe.” Frank admits as he slumps onto Joe’s bed.  
“I know I am and I won’t even make you repeat it for me!” Frank halfheartedly smiles at his brother. “So, tell me about the rest of the phone call!” Joe demands as he bounces up and down in anticipation.  
“She wants me to replace Ned in picking her up tonight from the airport then we’re grabbing dinner to “catch up””.  
“Her idea you say?” Joe inquires.  
“Yeah, but she didn’t seem totally with it, she said the murder case put her life in perspective that she can’t give Ned what he wants in the end, that it’ll just end badly for both of them.”  
“Oh well, so you know where you’re going to take her on this date tonight lover boy?” Joe teases.  
“Well you know there are so many options here in River Heights.” Frank responds as he rolls his eyes. “Gonna be hard to find a place that doesn’t make her think of Ned to be honest.”  
“Why don’t you make her dinner here? Bet the Nedster never did that. I’ll leave y’all be and head on over to the Marvin household.”  
“I bet he never had to be a short-order cook.”  
“I bet not since he doesn’t have the best younger brother in the world to get him a gig like that.”  
“Yeah that’s exactly how I like to think of it Joe.” Frank responds sarcastically.  
“Hey it’s resume builder you don’t actually have to lie about!”  
“Touché. But I don’t think a hamburger is going to cut it tonight with Nancy.”  
“Cheeseburger!” Joe proclaims.  
“Oh give it a rest Joe! Thanks to you I have to run to the store and figure out a meal that says we’d be great as more than friends, sorry you’re “single”, and congrats on another case solved, all in one!”  
“Well good thing you aren’t trying to say it with a card!” Joe shouts as Frank heads out the door. “Don’t forget the alcohol!!”

“Right on time as usual, and in my roadster.” Nancy notes as Frank rolls up to the curb.  
“Yeah I figured that way you’d have a quick getaway if necessary. And that it would probably make you feel more comfortable.”  
“Well actually I had been hoping for your bike.”  
Frank blushes and admits, “I’d thought about it, but didn’t exactly need you losing your luggage again.”  
“Everyone and their logic these days!” She teases as she throws her stuff in the back then joins Frank in the front.  
“Bollocks, I didn’t grab the door.”  
“Oh please don’t bother yourself with that, there’s no time for it, I’m famished. Where we off to?”  
“River Heights miss if you’ve never been.” Frank jokes in a terrible British accent.  
“Well Mr. Hardy I hope you didn’t think I only asked you here for your chauffeuring, your humor is quite refreshing.” Nancy tried to respond in her most serious voice but failing just looking at Frank behind the wheel. He winked at her and they hit the road.

Once at the Hardy house their small talk ended and the nerves of both became obvious. Frank had placed two candles on the table but had only lit one as he couldn’t determine the ambiance he was going for. The rest of the room was in a similar manner. Nancy smiled at the effort Frank had gone to tonight just for her, especially on such short notice. She had offered to help Frank make the final preparations on the dinner but he had politely refused and told her to “make herself at home in the dining room” where Joe had secretly left margaritas, red wine, and even some champagne, on the table. Nancy knew she was going to need a lot more to steel her nerves so she found the tequila and took a few swift swigs before she heard Frank announce that dinner would be served.  
Frank walked in beaming with his elegant presentation of shrimp florentine. Startled by the presentation Nancy quickly pulled herself together to start sharing the wonderful meal with the equally wonderful Frank Hardy. Frank noticed his brothers subtle gift to them and while not wanting to seem too forward, said the red wine would probably go most excellently with the dish and Nancy agreed to share the bottle. “I believe the saying the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, also applies here to a woman. Especially when said woman has been eating food from a vending machine for the past 4 days and hasn’t eaten in the last 10 hours.”  
“So it’s only a good meal because of those things, otherwise it would just be so-so?” Frank questions as he freezes in anguish.  
“Oh no, this would always be considered excellent!” Nancy adds quickly.  
“Oh ok, great.” Frank murmurs, still a little uneasy.  
“Blast it Frank where is the confident man that I know?”  
“Out with his brother solving a case or trying to help you on one of yours.” Frank remarks sheepishly.  
“Obviously. Frank if you’re worried about the Ned thing I’ve got it totally under control.”  
“Do you though Nancy? Because I can go back to admiring you from afar, I mean tonight has been great but I couldn’t live with myself if I destroyed Ned needlessly.” Frank knew this to not be the case but he felt obligated to say it, nice guy that he was. Nancy however, could see the pain in his eyes.  
“No Frank, I’m sorry I didn’t see earlier how painful it was for you. I was too blind by how easy things are with Ned. So easy to stay together, to not have to explain to people, or block people out of your life. But easy doesn’t mean it’s right. I’ve changed, and Ned and I have grown apart, we want different things. We both thought we could change each other but we just can’t, partially because I’m not around long enough for that to happen, but still, we were broken beyond repair. I’m Miss Never a Dull Moment and he’s, well, Always a Dull Moment.”  
“Wow I hope you never describe me like this.”  
“As long as you never leave me you have nothing to worry about, because I am never letting you go again, you make me feel so alive, you’re the first person I want to call when I’m in trouble or not. Yours is the opinion that matters most.” As she said this she reached across the table and placed her hand on his and had instant butterflies.  
Frank could hardly believe his luck and the electric charge that came when she placed her hand on his shocked him out of his fear. He locked his fingers through hers and looked straight into her eyes. “Nancy Scarlett Drew, I will never let you go.”

**Author's Note:**

> Yes I know the Hardy's technically don't live in River Heights, but I could totally see them thinking it was worth it to get some form of property in River Heights.
> 
> I know it isn't perfect, Nancy is a little more forward than I intended.


End file.
